Knight in Shining Gold Titanium Alloy
by Kipling Bunny
Summary: How the worst day of Pepper's life coincidentally became the best. Tony/Pepper. Complete
1. Chapter One

Movieverse. Of course. And Pepper/Tony, since it's perfection. And a Pepper damsal in distress is so very fun. Thank you for reading!

Beta'd by Geeky BMWW Fan. Thank you, friend!

_Disclaimer:_ I don't own anything.

* * *

_Chapter One-_

* * *

Pepper shook her head for the third time; Tony had been counting while watching her in his peripheral version.

The door to the elevator ambled open and the two walked in. He waited for the doors to close shut before he asked.

"What?"

Pepper's eyes carefully roamed over to his, her calm demeanor only a facade. She pressed the L button roughly. "I can't believe you did that!"

"What? I did what?" Of course he knew exactly what she was referring to. Or at least he thought he did. But he was going to play dumb otherwise, ruffling Pepper Potts' feathers was an art.

"The admission, Tony. The admission to the world. That's what you did." She clasped her hands together while turning to face him. She needed a better angle to glare at him. "What do you expect to do now? Did you even think that far ahead?"

She waited patiently for him to answer her, but all she received was an innocent smile. Of course he hadn't thought about it in the moment.

She shook her head. For the fourth time, Tony noted. "To be perfectly honest, Mr. Stark, that wasn't one of your brightest ideas."

He had the audacity to shrug. "Potts, mark my words, it'll be fine. No one is going to believe me anyway. What's the worst that could happen?"

"No, people _will_ believe you. They _do_ believe you, Tony. That's dangerous. Superheroes have secret identities for a reason. It can put other lives at stake, not just your own."

It had dawned on him beforehand that he wasn't just a one man show. But hearing it come from her mouth added depth to the scenario.

He had an entourage and being a self-confessed 'superhero' wasn't in their best interest.. Still, he had a notion that everything would blow over in a week or two. Maybe a month. Tops.

She sighed loudly in an attempt to finalize their conversation.

He opened his mouth; he wasn't about to let her have the last word, but the elevator dinged announcing their arrival. Pepper was halfway out into the lobby by the time Tony noticed the doors had opened.

To his dismay, a sea of people crowded around him. Some were reporters or on-lookers. Two of his refrigerator-sized body guards stepped in while politely asking people to back away. Politely may have been an understatement.

Tony had walked quickly to avoid any other unnecessary entanglements with anyone. He could of have sworn he heard Christine Everhart's voice in the crowd. If anything, his gait increased.

"Pepper...?" He could see her red hair a few feet away. The distance that woman could cover in five-inch heels was amazing. "Pepper!"

She halted obediently, though he could tell she was quite hesitant on turning around. She did it anyway.

"Yes, Mr. Stark?" Her voice was rather flat.

Tony could see Hogan waiting for them through the glass revolving doors. The champagne colored Rolls never looked more like a safe haven than it did today.

He could sense Pepper growing impatient.

Acting on his natural impulsiveness, Tony grabbed her arm and walked her quickly through the front doors. Hogan had already spotted them making their grand exit. He religiously opened the car's door for the two.

Pepper looked down at the strong grip on her forearm, but she made no attempt to remove it.

"Everything will be okay," he told her as they continued to walk. "I will do everything in my power to make it okay."

His voice was resilient, and as she took a seat on the calf-leather, she contemplated his words thoughtfully.

After Tony secured himself alongside her in the vehicle, Hogan drove off, leaving the press and the wannabes far behind them.

After a few minutes of silence, Tony caught her gaze. "Do you believe me?" His dark eyes didn't falter and she felt her self being caught up in them.

"Yes. Of course." She smiled. And so did he.

* * *

_Four Days Later-_

"Okay, so you've declined every talk show invitation," Pepper said, more to herself than to Tony. She was busy writing a few things down onto her yellow legal pad. "Except for..."

Tony looked up from his crouched position, his newest prototype was receiving a well-needed upgrade. "Ellen. If she asks, the answer is..." he pulled out a hydraulic cord and frowned at it momentarily, "yes."

Pepper's note-taking paused. "Ellen? Why?"

"Because I _want_ to dance with the audience," Tony replied. The _'duh, Pepper'_ tone was unavoidable.

"What about the Today show? Why pass that up?"

"Matt Lauer hates me. He'll put me on the spot, I know it."

Before Pepper could ask the obvious question to understand why Tony would think something so ludicrous, he answered it for her. "I once hit on his wife. How was I to know he was married?" He must have noticed the look on her face. "To a model, I might add."

"Larry King?"

"Larry King's wife?"

Pepper sighed and shook her head. "Larry King. As in the talk show."

Tony chuckled at the visual image of hitting on Larry King. Or his wife, at that. "Uh... um, he asked?"

"No, but he might."

Tony pulled out a Phillips screw driver and started contemplating the idea. But Pepper moved on.

"Good Morning LA. You're local, you can't say no to that."

Tony's voice was distant as he tightened a bolt on the suit's torso. "Maybeeee..."

Pepper took that as a yes and wrote it down on her scrawled list. "I'll pencil it in, then."

He hadn't quite heard her; he was too preoccupied with finishing his task. After a few extra seconds, he stood up and rubbed his hands together with excitement. "I'm ready to take this thing out for a spin."

Jarvis' voice came out from nowhere, "I was afraid of that, sir."

Pepper checked her watch. "I have errands to run. I have a meeting at the bank in a half an hour. Do you need anything to be picked up while I am out?"

She watched as he ran his hand down the smooth, red and gold surface. His attention span was limited; she knew that better than anyone on the face of the planet. There were times when it drove her crazy, to the point where she wanted to pull out all of her hair. Thankfully, this wasn't one of those moments.

Pepper smiled as she watched him enthralled with his very own creation. She noted how his hands touched it carefully, as if admiring his own craftsmanship.

For a mere second of longing, she wondered what it would feel like to have those hands on her.

But the second passed and before she realized it, she was heading through the glass door to march up the stairs to get away from him. And his hands.

"Mr. Stark," her voice always became professional to oust any and all thoughts about him on _that_ level. "Please remember to call me if you need something."

"Uh-huh."

* * *

Despite his desire to try out the newest and latest suit, Tony decided more retooling was in order.

"Not taking it out for a spin, sir?" Jarvis asked brightly. "You have been working on this area of the torso for nearly an hour and half."

Jarvis' voice broke Tony of his concentration. "Huh? Really?" He looked over at the wall clock. "Sure enough..."

"Sir, "Jarvis turned up the volume on the LCD closest to his master. "I think you should see this."

_"... bank robbery in progress... downtown Los Angeles..."_

Tony stopped fidgeting with the outer casing and perked up at the reporter's recounting of current events.

He left his work bench and walked over to the TV to pay closer attention.

_"Again, this is Regina Davis reporting live from downtown Los Angeles. The police are at a standstill. Apparently," _the reporter indicated to the large, stone building behind her,_ "the robbers have hostages inside. Quite a few are bank employees while others are said to be customers caught in the crossfire. Authorities are wondering about an Iron Man appearance..."_

A corner of Tony's mouth curved upward. "Hoo-boy. Is this going to be my first bank robbery? Oh, this is exciting. Should I be excited? I guess that's being a tad..."

"Macabre?"

Tony raised a brow at Jarvis's suggested word. "I wasn't thinking that, no..."

"Sir, need I remind you, the odds of Ms. Potts being one of the hostages is quite high."

"I ... what?"

If Jarvis had the ability to showcase the emotion of an 'eye-rolling', he certainly would have done so. "Ms. Potts had a meeting to attend to. Or have you already forgotten? She was going _for_ you."

Tony's face fell. It all came to him, all at once. It was a lender meeting, and Pepper was approved to substitute for his presence. Ever since his admission, Tony had been taking it slow when regarding public appearances.

"I have no time to use the newest prototype. What's ready to go?"

"Mark II, sir."

Tony's voice became frighteningly dark. "That's better than nothing."

Jarvis noted Tony's cotton shirt and jeans. "Deciding against the flight undersuit?"

"No time."

As quickly as he could, Tony moved to the center of the work shop floor, while Jarvis started the power up sequence. As the robot arms fitted the suit around him like a glove, Tony's mind reeled over the possibilities while encountering a bank robbery in progress. He'd have to be careful; otherwise too many casualties could be a result.

He avoided focusing on the dread welling up inside of him.

Deep down, he knew Pepper was going to be alright. Whether she was there, or not.

Once completely powered up and fitted into the suit, he zoomed through the still gaping holes in his ceilings and straight into the California sunshine.

"Call Pepper's cellphone."

Pepper Potts' name came over the screen before him.

_Dialing... connected..._

Tony grit his teeth in frustration.

_Ringing..._

Nothing.

Either she was away from her phone. Or...

"I hope that didn't draw any attention to her."

"I couldn't agree more, sir."

* * *

The man's solid grip on her shoulder indicated everything she had wanted to know: he was a lot stronger than her, and at any given moment, he could snap her neck like a twig if she struggled. The tip of the AK-47 digging into her lower back indicated something else: Even the _thought_ of struggling was out of the question.

While blindfolded, she was being led, or rather pushed forcefully into a smaller room. A room that smelled distinctly like money. She couldn't place it, but she knew that smell somehow. It had its very own distinct odor and she could sense she was near the vault. After being tossed sideways into a metal wall and sliding down to her knees, she could feel lined doors and key holes of safety deposit boxes.

He then tore off her blindfold. "Open the vault!"

Pepper wondered in a moment of clarity what the point of the blind fold was in the first place. Another thing: they weren't the brightest bank robbers in the world.

She, instead, swallowed hard and cursed her professional attire. "I already told you," her voice was shakier than she would have liked, "I _do not_ work here. Therefore, I can't get you into the vau-"

"Shut up!"

One of the fellow robbers pushed a female bank employee into the room. "I need you to open the vault," he ordered gruffly. His black ski mask didn't quite fit as well, and it muffled his voice. He sounded as though he was speaking through a sock.

The woman looked as though she had forgotten how to speak English, let alone how to form words into a sentence. After a few painful seconds, she managed to shake her head.

"I- I don't have the k-keys or any codes..."

To Pepper's horror, she felt the AK-47 ram into her forehead. "Open the vault, or I'll blow her head off."

Despite the fact that her life was looking close to a grisly end, Pepper's brain still managed to function. Even after being thrust into the worst scenario she could have imagined for herself, her sheer terror somehow mellowed out and morphed into white hot anger.. _WHERE IN THE HELL IS TONY STARK, AND WHY IS HE TAKING SO GODDAMN LONG?! _

Somewhere in the distance, however, she could have sworn she heard her cell phone ringing...

* * *

TBC

* * *

Thanks, again, for reading!


	2. Chapter Two

Thank you everyone for the great feedback! It was most appreciated!!

Geeky-Thank you for the beta, friend! In my eternal gratitude, I give you RMGIJBIM. I think you're going to like it.

_Disclaimer:_ Sadly, nothing is mine.

* * *

_Chapter Two_

* * *

Tony streaked through the mid-afternoon sky as he headed toward the downtown LA area. It was at least a half an hour drive in his Audi R8, but in his suit and considering the rate he was going, his ETA was minute or so. Or less.

Jarvis imputted the map of Tony's destination on the left corner of the suit's screen. And before he knew it, while dodging and flying past high-rises, he was already there. The army of police and news vehicles made it more than evident that he was in the right place.

He noticed immediately that every news camera had been placed on him. Far down below, he could see the reporter, Regina Davis, looking up at him while speaking into her news microphone. Everyone knew he was here to save the day.

It came with no warning, and Tony had no way of predicting it, but a massive wave of stage fright hit him. It was as if he was reliving his sixth grade play all over again. Nobody in their right mind was meant to play Macbeth at age ten. Leave it to boarding schools to ruin Shakespeare for children at a tender age.

The typical fright was very apparent. He knew everyone was watching him and he knew he was already being scrutinized for every move.

Suddenly he had wished against telling the entire world he had an alter-ego. Because if he failed, the world knew Tony Stark had failed.

"Sir?" Jarvis broke him from his thoughts. "According to the sensors monitoring your body, your heart rate and sweat production have both drastically increased."

Tony knew better than to let any insecurities get to him. He brushed it off as nothing. He had a job to do first and foremost.

Second guessing himself could come later, when he was finished with his mission.

Avoiding Jarvis altogether, Tony spoke up, "That's a fairly large building; the robbers could be anywhere."

"Perhaps it would be wise to stealthily enter through a window..." Jarvis mused aloud.

"Or the roof." As soon as Tony had said that, he pushed up with the stabilizers in his gauntlets and he flew straight up to the large, flat roof.

"You could always cut power and make a hole in the roof, giving you direct access."

Tony often wondered how and when Jarvis developed sarcasm. But now wasn't the time to dwell on it.

Instead, while in mid-air, he ripped the roof access door off its hinges and he floated in. The building that greeted him was dark. The police must have cut the power to the building. Hopefully the hostiles inside the building itself had no idea he was there.

Tony flew over to the emergency exit staircase to take him down further. He rounded each level, and once he arrived at the lobby entrance, he immediately halted. The stairwell's vast darkness offered him perfect camouflage while he remained hidden, while the cut-out window in the metal door allowed him to peer out.

However, he couldn't see a thing; it was far too dark. And the building itself was large in size; it was the headquarters for the national company.

Tony took a deep breath and carefully tugged on the door leading to the lobby. It was locked. Of course, it _had _to be locked.

Not wishing to make any noise whatsoever, Tony pulled lightly on the handle. He could feel the metal twist under his grip and eventually it gave way. But the door remained closed while he held what was left of the handle in his hand.

"Grr... " It was time to get this over with. He lifted up one leg, placed it in the center of the annoying door and pushed gently. It caved in and fell forward.

Immediately Tony froze. He hoped that it hadn't drawn any unneeded attention to him..

Jarvis set Tony's visor to night vision and not a second later, he could see every detail surrounding him. The heat vision hadn't picked up anything. So far he was alone.

But that didn't last long.

Before he knew it, his long range sensors had picked up something behind him. As he pivoted quickly, he saw two bank robbers staring at him in awe while not-so discreetly pointing their guns at him.

Tony held up one hand to hopefully get a violent-free conversation started, but the robbers weren't interested. As soon as they saw him move, they opened fire on him.

It slightly tickled as Tony could feel the bullets pinging off of his armor. Instead of allowing them to continue wasting their bullets, Tony targeted the heavy wooden bank advertisement above their heads and without a second more, he shot at it, sending it down on the perpetrators heads. They were knocked instantly unconscious.

He allowed a satisfied smirk and continued his patrol around the darkened lobby. Fragments of light near the entrance of the building had filtered through, but he still couldn't see a thing.

And the entire place remained eerily quiet.

Hopefully the hostages were faring decently. Charging every person picked up by the heat sensor could end disastrously. In the long run, he could frighten the robbers and end up killing everyone he was there to save.

His heart sank. Because 'everyone' could very well include Pepper Potts.

* * *

Pepper watched as the two gathered bank employees clumsily entered in the code into the wall near the gigantic, silver vault.

So far the robbers had rounded up everyone needed to open the vault and allowed them enough time to gather as much cash as they could get their hands on.

The rough carpeting was aggressively digging into Pepper's knees. She hadn't been able to move since she was forced onto the ground by her captors. Her hands were now latched together and uncomfortably placed near the back and base of her neck. Not to mention, her arms were aching from the position.

But as long as she stayed calm and collected, it would be ok. Or at least that's what she told herself to make herself feel better.

The rough breathing of the bank employees and the impatient voices of their captors was all that could be heard.

Finally the vault had been opened and one of the robbers pushed an employee aside.

"There's one more door... Who has the ke-..?" He stopped short. A couple rounds from the AK-47s could be heard from somewhere in the vast expanse of the lobby.

The entire group fell silent.

Whatever the bullets were hitting, the familiar pinging sound was music to Pepper's ears. It was as if she could feel the nightmare coming to a close end.

Pepper pressed her lips together and held them shut to avoid any sounds of glee coming from her mouth. If she had heard correctly, that is. Pepper hardly wanted to get her hopes up.

As quickly as the sounds had started, they ceased just as quickly. A large _whump_ quieted the guns instantaneously. A monstrous silence threatened to fill the lobby once again. Even so, Pepper could sense that the robbers were more than nervous.

One robber jogged up to the room, out of breath.

"There- there's someone... else here." He paused and took in a breath.

The leader of the group's demeanor seemed unaltered even while underneath his ski-mask. But Pepper knew it was all a guise. Their desire for quick money had led them into a worse situation than they could have imagined for themselves. They may have had enough men to cover their tracks and fancy weapons to get them there, but Pepper knew better. And so did they.

"Who is it?" He asked gruffly. His voice sounded slightly annoyed.

"I uh... I'm not sure. It looks like RoboCop, to tell you the truth."

Pepper's tight lips curved upward and she greatly fought the urge to laugh.

"Oh. I'm sure it's..." The leader paused. "Iron Man." He chuckled. "It's Anthony Stark in a suit. We can take him down." He chuckled nervously. His cronies followed suit.

The employees watched the men in ski-masks and they looked as though their last hope had been diminished into nothingness. Pepper, on the other hand, felt elated.

She was already thinking of all the things she wanted to do for him after she got out of this mess. Maybe she would make her grandmother's famous zucchini bread he was always asking about. Or maybe she could wear that French maid outfit he offered her once.

Pepper made a face at the idea. No, that would be too humiliating...

Or maybe...

"To hell with this!" The leader's anger seemed to be rolling off of him. "You're useless!"

Pepper's eyes went wide as she watched the only male of the three bank employees get shot in the head. She averted her eyes to avoid looking at the body. Meanwhile, the other two women started hyperventilating.

_Tony... Tony..._ Pepper started mumbling frantically in her head, as if her boss could hear her.

The leader shot at the door leading to the vault's innards and eventually the door gave way.

Excitedly, the three men rushed through and shot at locked cabinets to get their hands on the money. It was just like a movie playing before her. It didn't feel real anymore and Pepper wondered if the movie was going to end.

It had to end.

The first robber was through with a bag of money; he was followed immediately by a second. And the third, the leader, seemed to be taking his time.

Seconds dragged by, but the third came out holding two large bags.

"This is easier than I thought. Iron Man hasn't even shown up yet." He shook his head and laughed.

He motioned to the other two. "Stuff the women in the vault. And seal it."

One reached for her roughly and grabbed her by her arm; Pepper knew fighting back wasn't in her best interest. She was the last to be thrown into the small room. The two other women huddled together in the corner and they all three heard the outer door seal shut.

Finally Pepper felt liberated knowing she could do whatever she wanted and say whatever she wanted. As soon as she heard the door seal shut, the vast darkness clouded around them and she could hear the other two whimper.

"Well this isn't going well at all!" She kicked the door. "Stupid Tony Stark! Where are you!"

"We have no power. We're going to run out of air," one of the women whispered.

"What?"

The woman seemed to have found strength in her voice. "Once the vault door is sealed, there isn't any air coming in. And with the electricity cut, the ...uh... the emergency air won't be alarmed..."

Pepper's dread escalated to an all time high. She sighed and sank down onto her backside.

All she had left to do was wait.

* * *

Sorry about these cliffhangers. I promise to make it all better in the next chapter! Thank you again for reading!!


	3. Chapter Three

Hello! So sorry about the wait everyone. But thank you for the feedback! I really appreciate it. And I hope you enjoy the ending of this.

Geeky BMWW Fan- Tada! Thank you, friend! For your efforts, I grant you winged boots for everyday use! Yay!

_Disclaimer:_ Not mine.

* * *

_Chapter Three- The End. Or Better Known As The Beginning_

* * *

Tony focused the suit's piercing blue eyes towards the back of the lobby. He could have sworn he picked up on a shot being fired.

For the first time since stepping foot in the building, Jarvis spoke, "That was a 7.62 mm assault rifle. The same they superficially attacked you with earlier."

"It seems our 'robbers' don't use the standard fare when it comes to weaponry," Tony said quietly.

"And what is 'standard fare'?" Jarvis drawled into his ear. "Are you up to date with the bank robbing world?"

Tony rolled his eyes at that while moving stealthily through the encompassing quiet that overtook the massive building. Using his front visors, he picked up body heat from no more than twenty feet away.

"I patched into the police frequency," Jarvis hastily informed. "It seems as though they've already sent in a SWAT team."

Tony bit his lower lip. Apparently the police felt he was too long in taking his time, but it seemed as though not more than a few minutes had passed. What did they expect for him to do? He was still a novice when it came down to playing superhero. And the last thing he wanted was to endanger the hostages.

Instead of vocalizing his concern for the severity of the situation, Tony narrowed his eyes and stormed forward. In an effort to remain quiet, he glided centimeters above the berber carpet to avoid any unneeded noise.

He heard voices coming from around the corner.

"Hurry it up! We have to get out here..."

Through the darkness, Tony heightened the heat sensors and counted three men coming towards his general direction.

As soon as they turned the corner, Tony noticed the burlap sacks stuffed with straps of cash. So they had access to the vault. But if they're in a rush to leave, where were their hostages?

The man ahead of them noticed Tony first. He gasped as Tony charged forward.

"Son of..." But Tony's fist had already caught the guy in the gut, sending him flying across the room. Without a second's hesitation, Tony swung his left leg around and slammed it into the next man, plowing him into the beige carpeting.

The third was paralyzed in fear as he watched the man in the suit come towards him. "The- there's no way... y'-you're Tony Stark."

Tony smirked, but the expression on Iron Man's face was anything but. "Where are the hostages?" The tenor coming from his mouth was frightening enough. Tony's rich baritone was intensified while speaking through the Iron Man mask. It alone, while used properly, could instill fear in anyone foolish enough to cross paths with the titanium suit.

The man took in a shallow breath, but remained still.

"I won't ask you again," Tony threatened. He raised his right hand and the flight stabilizer (or weapon if he chose it to be) glowed menacingly, ready to attack.

"Th- the vault, ...sir." The man pointed behind him towards the massive silver door sealed shut. He then held fast to his bag of cash and started to slowly skirt around him.

Tony watched unbelieving as the man actually tried walking away from him. It actually was ridiculous enough to make him chuckle, but instead Tony quickly backhanded the man across the face, knocking him out cold.

The sensors immediately alarmed Tony of movement behind him. He paused and swiveled around slowly. The SWAT team, adorned in black suits, night vision goggles and assault rifles stood there ready to greet him. The leader motioned for the group behind him to halt and he came forward, while glancing around at the fallen foes.

"Good job, Iron Man. I think you've actually subdued the entire group." The man's voice seemed anything but amused, however.

Tony shrugged slightly. "Isn't that my job?"

The leader's body language indicated he wasn't under orders to laugh, or provide any indication of finding it humorous. Tony turned his attention onto the vault, while ignoring the black team behind him.

"Hostages?" He heard the leader ask.

"Inform the bank owner they are going to need a new vault door." Without another word said, Tony feigned flexing his hands and at once placed his palms onto the smooth metal and yanked. The steel whined under the pressure and gave way. As soon as Tony provided a large enough gaping hole, he stopped and waited. As if emerging from his thoughts, Pepper Potts was the first to emerge from the makeshift doorway.

Tony immediately held out his hand to offer some support. She looked at it for a second and then looked up at the impersonal mask.

"What took you!"

The SWAT leader studied the redhead that had materialized out of the vault and then turned his attention to the man in the suit.

Tony could sense the man was making a connection, so he picked up the pace on the situation.

"Looks like everything is under control here," Tony said sternly, doing his best to impersonate a military officer. Whenever he needed that special effect, he thought 'what would Rhodey do?' It worked like a charm.

Pepper was making a face at him still and then she motioned to the room behind her. "There are two more women..."

"The situation is under control, ma'am," the SWAT leader said. He radioed the LAPD outside and the first time that day, the bank and its surroundings were somewhat normal. As normal as it could be.

"I'll escort you home," Tony said to Pepper. Before she could decide upon protesting, Tony had her in his arms. Before taking off, he turned to the SWAT leader one last time. "Oh, and tell the bank owner he'll need to replace a wall as well." Once he finished, Tony powered up the stabilizer in his left hand and blasted a clean hole through the east wall.

Not one second more, Pepper was safely secured in his arms and flying with him through the newly damaged wall into the California sunshine.

"Ohmygod, Tony, ohmygod. I don't feel comfortable about this," Pepper was covering her face while unsecured red strands of hair whipped around her. "I'm afraid..."

"Of what, Pepper?" He asked sweetly. The tone in his voice prompted her to lower her hands and focus her soft blue eyes on the mask. At least she trusted him. "I'd never drop you. And you're perfectly safe."

Pepper forced a smiled. Sort of. Or at least he thought she smiled. Warily, she glanced down and noticed they were at least a good few hundred feet above the Pacific. Once again, her hands flew over her face. "Aaaaaaah! I'm going to die!"

"Oh for the love of god, nothing will happen to you. That I promise."

The series of events that had littered her day ran through her mind, allowing her to relax enough to put down her guard. "I almost died today, Tony. It was horrible! And to think I had gone to the bank for you." She looked off into the distance and shook her head. Tony could have sworn he saw a stray tear roll down her cheek, which she then stubbornly wiped away with her sleeve.

"You're right, but..." How could he put these words gently? It'd be tough. "But it was fortunate that you had gone in place of me..."

Her brow knitted in anger and she turned back to face him. "What?!"

"Because if I had been in a hostage situation... I wouldn't have been able to get to my suit, and what if everyone had died. What if I had died?"

Pepper knew he was correct. But she rolled her eyes anyway and shook her head once again. "They wouldn't have killed you. If terrorists in Afghanistan can't kill you, what makes you think unorganized city bank robbers would?"

"Heh, it's nice being invulnerable like that."

She glared at him. If looks could kill...

If Tony could have smiled with the mask on, he would have. "Sorry, I didn't mean it that way..."

"I know," she replied softly.

"And the thought of losing you was my main focus throughout the ordeal."

She looked over at him, waiting for more.

"I uh... I couldn't bear the thought of losing you, Pepper. If you had been killed today..." He stopped short, wondering what to say next. It's almost as if words couldn't correctly express how he felt.

"You mean it?" At times her doe-eyed expression was too much for him.

"Well, of course. I need you in my life. Like I need..." He looked around him. Why was it so hard to speak with her sometimes? He was _summa cum laude_ at MIT and now he could hardly hold a decent conversation with a girl. "Air." Yeah, that basically summed it up.

Pepper smiled. This time it wasn't forced.

Tony noticed her apartment below them and without more being said, he gently lowered them down, landing on her railed balcony with ease.

"I ...thank you, Mr. Stark. That was an interesting uh..." She cleared her throat, "ride."

He prompted the mask to lift up, showing her his true eyes and expressions. It felt so freeing to be able to smile. And have her see it. "You're welcome, Miss Potts. Anytime you want to go flying..."

"Well I hope I don't have to be rescued again. Or at least anytime soon, that is."

"I don't know," he mocked, "It's pretty fun rescuing you." His eyes locked on hers. "Just don't do anything drastic, I can't have you leave me, remember that?"

"Oh, is that so?"

"Yep, because I love you..." Whoa, that came out of no where. "I mean, I love all the things you do for me. And uh, you know, you're helpful and..." Tony didn't know the true meaning of awkward silence. Until now.

She looked away; suddenly the iron railing attached to her cement patio became quite interesting.

Tony glanced at the floor below him, trying to reword what he was about to say next. Who knows what could come out of his mouth at any given moment.

"Do you mean that, Tony?" She asked, still not looking at him.

He swallowed hard. "I think life changing experiences can have that effect on a person..." He blew some out air out of his mouth. This wasn't easy. "I...yes. Pepper, yes. I do."

Her gaze finally shifted over to his general direction. "Do what?"

"I love you." It was so to the point. And easy. He didn't know those three words formed into that sentence could have been that easy. Still, he made a face after seeing her uneasy expression. "Oh, yikes. Sorry. I don't want to make anything weird between us. I..."

But Pepper was already reacting in anyway she knew how; she grabbed the sides of his opened mask and pulled him down into a kiss. Strangely enough, it caught him totally off guard. Once his lips collided with hers, there was no stopping them. Once Tony had tasted his lovely Pepper, he immediately catalogued every moment in the back of his mind.

Like clockwork, he was already pulling her towards him. His gauntlets starting moving from her back and started going lower. If he had his hands free, it would have been a lot more fun.

The chemistry between them had elevated to a whole new level; everything felt electric. Ever since Pepper had entered his life, it seemed as though they had been building up to this moment and now they could demonstrate their true feelings for one another.

To Tony's chagrin, however, Pepper pulled away in desperate need for air. But she made sure to punctuate the finality of ending the kiss with sucking on his lower lip until they were at least an inch apart.

Tony had caught his breath within seconds and was ready to go at it again. He had exploration in mind. He felt like a man who had just stumbled upon one of the greatest discoveries known to mankind. It needed further research...

But Pepper stopped him. "Tony," she said breathlessly.

"Hm...?" Even her hair smelled wonderful. Why hadn't he noticed that before?

Her eyes were looking deeply into his.. "I left my purse at the bank."

"Huh? Oh..." Tony was still lost in a Pepper and Me moment, but he was brought back down to reality. At once, his mask was back on and with one last look at his fair beauty, he flew upwards. "Never fear, I'm pretty fast in this thing. So help any punks that try to steal it before I get there."

She laughed at that. Tony stopped before taking off into the sky. "Dinner tonight?"

"Is that a date, Mr. Stark?"

"It sure is. But the 'Mr. Stark' business might become a little weird."

"But I'm still your employee..."

He held up a finger. "True. However, I won't be paying you to go on a date with me."

"Very true." Pepper watched as he was moments from leaving. "Tony! Wait!"

His blue gaze never faltered as he waited.

Pepper suddenly looked increasingly shy. She bit her lower lip. "I... well, I meant to say, that. I love you, too."

Tony continued to stare at her as her words sunk in. After a moment of silence, he finally spoke up. "Are you sure you need your purse? Because... y'know, I'm fine with staying..."

"Tony..."

"Ok, ok..." With one last look back, he was off into the sky. Pepper watched him as her knight in shining armor flew back towards the city center.

Who would have thought that her day of terror would have such a happy outcome? Pepper placed her elbows on the railing and propped up her chin to watch the waning sun hide behind skyscrapers. With a happy sigh, Pepper finally felt at ease. And for once in her life, everything felt right.

* * *

Thank you for reading!

_stephanie-_ Thank you very much!! :D

_always a happy ending_- Aww, thank you! I'm so glad you've enjoyed this so far. :)


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